1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to attachable eyeglasses and, in particular, to a universal method of manufacturing attachable supplemental or auxiliary lenses having a magnet for removable attaching to primary eyeglasses via magnets embedded or even encapsulated within the primary eyeglass frame front.
2. Background Information
A lasting trend in fashion eyewear has been the use of “clip-on” sunglasses. Clip-on sunglasses typically consist of auxiliary lenses with clip-like appearances that fit about the frames of the primary eyeglasses for attaching thereto. The clip-ons may be tinted or otherwise treated. Traditionally some frame manufacturers have offered clip-ons as an extra accessory, but not all eyeglass frames have corresponding clip-ons. When available the clip-on could be specially ordered for the customer or could be purchased as a set with the frames. Alternatively, aftermarket clip-ons are available, including slip-ins, flip-ups, fit-overs, fit-behinds, and many variations.
The clip-on sunglasses represent one of the most common auxiliary lenses that are coupled to primary eyeglasses, but are not the only form of auxiliary lenses. The auxiliary lenses may be designed to assist the user with a select purpose, such as enhance nighttime driving, increased magnification for select project (needlework, jewelry working or cleaning, etc.), “3D” lenses, computer glasses (blocking certain wavelengths to reduce eyestrain through prolonged computer usage), and the like. A user's primary glasses may be supplemented via auxiliary lenses for almost any purpose that lenses have been designed. Sunglasses merely represent the most commonly known auxiliary lenses type.
Magnetic-assisted clips offer a popular option for attaching clip-on lenses to eyeglasses. Magnetic clip-ons are often bundled with eyeglasses and sold as a set. Some magnetic auxiliary lenses clip-ons rely on appendages to which a small magnet is attached and attracts to a magnet attached on the eyewear frame. When clipped, the appendages overlap and magnetic attraction holds the two pieces together. Other magnetic sunglasses use magnets attached directly to magnets on or in the front face of the eyeglass frame or other parts comprising the frame.
Magnetic coupling of auxiliary lenses has a long history in the patent field as evidence by the following patent summaries, which patents are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,847 discloses a magnetic bi-focal lens holder in which a magnet holds separate auxiliary lens elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,981 discloses a bridge portion of the frame in which there is a cylindrical magnet received within a sleeve of ferrous metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,366 discloses further magnification auxiliary lenses magnetically secured relative to the primary eyeglass lenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,537 discloses first magnetic members attached to the primary frame and second magnetic members attached to the auxiliary lenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,207 (now RE37,545) discloses a primary spectacle frame with two magnetic members in rear and side portions and an auxiliary spectacle frame with two magnetic member containing legs engaging with the magnetic members of the primary spectacle frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,177 discloses detachable sunglasses including a frame with a magnet to either end thereof, and a primary frame comprising a magnet on either end thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,054 discloses a primary spectacle frame which includes a magnetic connector member secured in the middle bridge portion and an auxiliary spectacle frame with a middle bridge portion having a projection for engaging over the middle bridge portion of the primary spectacle frame and having a magnetic connector member for engaging with the primary spectacle frame connector member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,880 discloses a spectacle frame having one or more magnets engaged in the spectacle frame before the magnetizable members are magnetized.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,700 discloses a mounting structure of detachable lenses to main spectacles wherein a first “magnetically-fitting piece” is provided on the circumference of each lens and a “second magnetically-fitting piece magnetically fitted to the corresponding first magnetically-fitting piece is provided on the other”.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,747 discloses a primary frame having two side studs. An auxiliary frame includes two side extensions each having a rear flange with a magnet for engaging with another magnet engaged in the studs or for engaging with the magnetic material studs. The magnets are preferably disposed laterally. U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,948 is a similar disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,730 discloses magnetically attaching an auxiliary lenses frame to a primary eyeglass frame in which the relative motion of the auxiliary lenses frame is limited due to the attractive magnetic forces of the engaged lenses and the flanges incorporated on the primary lenses frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,774 discloses a combination eyeglass frame and attachment frame which includes two pairs of magnets, one pair being mounted on the inside surface of the temples of the eyeglass frame and the other pair being mounted at the ends of the attachment frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,703 discloses auxiliary lenses in which two pairs of magnetic clamps are adapted to grip the eyeglasses adjacent the periphery of the primary and the secondary lenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,478 discloses a primary frame which includes a magnetic member on a temple element and an auxiliary frame having a first arm extending rearwardly from the frame with a magnetic member secured thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,926 discloses an eyeglass device which includes a bridge with a magnetic member, and two retaining mechanisms for supporting a pair of lenses. The magnetic member magnetically couples to another magnetic member at the bridge of a second auxiliary frame. Similar disclosures are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,092,896, 6,012,811, 5,737,054 and 5,786,880.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,787 discloses a primary spectacle frame and detachable sunglasses which includes a pair of magnetic attaching arrangements connected thereto for holding the sunglasses frame on the primary spectacle frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,420 discloses rimless spectacles for use with auxiliary lenses wherein magnets are used to attract and hold the auxiliary lenses in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,694 discloses the temples of the primary frames having a magnetic member and wherein the auxiliary frame has rearward extending arms at each end, each having magnetic members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,522 discloses auxiliary lenses with a set of magnets mounted on an extension adjacent to the perimeter of the frame lenses. The primary frame has a set of magnets mounted on an interior side of the elbows.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,254 discloses eyeglasses comprising a primary frame and an auxiliary frame detachably secured to the primary frame by interaction of magnetic members on the frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,976 discloses eyeglasses comprising a pair of spectacles having primary lenses and an auxiliary lenses assembly in which the auxiliary lenses assembly is secured by a pair of arms having magnets at one end that co-operate with magnets provided on the spectacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,783 discloses an eyeglasses assembly with at least one magnetic hinge that holds a removable, auxiliary eyeglasses attachment onto eyeglasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,124 discloses auxiliary lenses attached via magnets located on the inner periphery which is slightly larger than the spectacle rim, which rim is fabricated of, or includes, magnetic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,018 discloses an auxiliary lenses assembly which is secured by a sub-frame that includes at least one arm having a magnet at one end to co-operate with a magnet provided on a primary lenses frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,370 discloses magnetic mounted auxiliary lenses allegedly enabling user ease of removal, storage and fine tuning by adding or removing magnets in complimentary positive/negatively charged polar compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,371 discloses primary spectacle frames and auxiliary spectacle frames which may include magnetically interacting materials disposed in the vicinity of a bridge and/or in the vicinity of one or both of side extensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,806 discloses an eyeglasses assembly comprising at least one magnetic hinge that holds a removable, auxiliary eyeglasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,728 discloses an auxiliary frame which includes a heat-treated magnetic alloy configured to magnetically couple the auxiliary frame to a primary frame having magnetizable material.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,169 discloses primary lenses frame with a bridge portion having a major magnetic member disposed therein, and an auxiliary frame having its own bridge portion with a minor magnetic member disposed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,514 discloses primary and auxiliary lenses assemblies that use of “high strength micro-magnets” within the auxiliary lenses frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,961 discloses an eyewear system enables a person to switch lenses among a variety of frames via magnetic coupling in the frame and lenses or switch a variety of lenses within a single frame via such coupling.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,575,318 discloses a lenses holding “base-frame” which marries with various lenses-holding front-frames enhancement components. The base-frame and front-frame enhancement components utilize magnetized rare earth magnetic materials.
The applicant's own prior U.S. Pat. No. 7,600,870 discloses eyeglasses and supplemental lenses wherein at least one magnet is positioned in peripheral cavities drilled into primary and supplemental lenses. The applicant further attests to the commercial success of this design as set forth in the '870 patent of magnetically attachable auxiliary lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,771,044 discloses eyeglasses with clip-ons auxiliary lenses using housings for magnets for securing the clip-ons in a “uniblock.” Similar disclosures are found in related U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,269, 6,883,912, 6,866,385, 7,040,751 and 7,278,731.
The magnetically coupled auxiliary lenses described in the above discussed patents, which are incorporated herein by reference, give a detailed overview of the state of the art of the general structure of magnetically coupled auxiliary lenses. While these designs can offer certain advantages in the market over other systems, they have certain problems and shortcomings.
Appendages that attach traditional clip-ons to the eyeglasses add weight to the eyeglasses that can restrict the wearer's movement. Sometimes this weight is enough to cause the clip-on to detach unintentionally. Further, appendages (or even magnets) that extend away from the surface of the auxiliary lenses can potentially scratch the primary lenses when the clip-on is being attached to the primary lenses, such as when the primary and supplemental lenses are improperly aligned during attachment.
Some of the prior art did not provide appendages and placed the magnets within the eyeglass frame, yet these presented a practical problem of methods of manufacturing the desired eye frame based coupling for the magnetically coupled auxiliary lenses. Generally, these were hand machining after-market processes, requiring great precision on the after-market manufacturer. These are typically precision operations whose intricate placement required high end tools and experience analogous to that of a jeweler. These drawbacks have greatly limited the implementations of these designs. One prior art solution was molding the magnets into the frames, but this required the investment of molds unique to each given frame design, which severely limited the frame choices upon which the supplemental lenses could be used.
Finally, another limitation of these conventional clip-ons is that they are not aesthetically pleasing to some consumers. They often lack the fine design and construction of some of the more upscale that are available on the market today. Fewer choices are available compared to the vast array of optical frames.
Accordingly, there is a need for a supplemental lenses that accommodates a variety of eyeglasses, is light weight and less likely to scratch or detach, provides stability, and/or can be customized and does not impinge upon the aesthetics of the frame.